Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
HMS LYNX
Built
1912 London & Glasgow Shipbuilding Co
950
tons Acasta-class Destroyer
266.0
ft x 27.0 ft x 9.0 ft
2 shaft Parsons Turbines, 4 Yarrow boilers, 24,500 shp giving 29 knots.
8th August 1915 Sunk after
striking a mine, 24 miles SE of Wick.
HMS Lynx
~~~~~~o~~o~~~~~~
From Bob Baird’s
: Shipwrecks
of the North of Scotland
(Birlinn, 2003. ISBN 1 84158
233 6).
HMS LYNX
was one of the Grand Fleet destroyers on patrol in the Moray Firth on the night
of 8-9 August 1915. An enemy minefield
was known to exist, but its exact extent was not accurately known.
Three
destroyers normally patrolled together, but HMS MIDGE was the only other destroyer on the patrol line
with LYNX at the time. The torpedo boat destroyer, HMS OSPREY had been sent to deliver orders to the
minesweeping trawlers, and she arrived later.
At
10.40 pm on 8 August, LYNX received a message that was sent to all of the
destroyers on outer patrol in the Moray Firth, ordering them to keep at least
five miles to the eastward of the N-R line (Noss Head to Rosehearty), and well
clear of the minefield.
She
struck a mine and sank at 06.10hrs on 9 August. Her Captain, Cdr.J.Cole was
lost with 73 of his crew. There were only 26 survivors.
At
the time LYNX was blown up there was no information that the minefield extended
north of latitude 58°, but LYNX had been warned by HMS FAULKNOR that it was feared the
minefield extended across the Firth.
A signal
made at 12.30pm on 8 August only directed LYNX to pass north of latitude 58°.
She was sunk in latitude 5808N.
There
was no evidence to show the exact position at the time of striking the mine,
but survivors were picked up by the SS VULCANO about 8.30am in 580700N,
023830W.
The
MIDGE had correctly interpreted the order to keep well outside the N-R line,
but the Court took the view that it would be wrong to censure the late
commanding officer of LYNX for not having taken the same view, and that recent
sweeping had shown mines were laid eight miles outside the N-R line.
The
explosion apparently occurred in front of No.1 boiler room, wrecking and
severing the fore part of the ship, as far aft as No.1 boiler room.
A second violent explosion
also occurred in the vicinity of No.1 boiler room, between 5 and 10 minutes
after the first explosion. The Court of Enquiry was of the opinion that this
was caused by the after part of the ship drifting against a second mine.
~~~~~~o~~o~~~~~~
SS
VULCANO
Italian
steamship
Navigazione
Generale Italiana Line - G.Ravano
Built
1913 Cantieri Navali Riuniti
5,398
grt; 3,450 nrt; 394.3 ft x 51.7 ft x 27.3 ft
335
nhp; triple-expansion engines
Registered
Genoa, Italy
18th
October 1927 : Whilst on voyage from Quebec to Italy with wheat grain, she was
rammed by SS UNION and sank off of Rimouski (Father Point), St. Lawrence River.
No loss of life.
~~~~~~o~~o~~~~~~
Thanks
to Bob Baird for
his
kind permission to
include
his text on the Loss of HMS LYNX.
Raymond Forward